


By Scent

by camichats



Category: Marvel
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Alpha Winter Soldier, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Explicit Sexual Content, Getting Together, Howard Stark's Good Parenting, Knotting, M/M, Maria Stark's Bad Parenting, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Tony Stark, One Night Stands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:41:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27425116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Tony was twenty and unmated, so his parents threw an old-style masquerade for him. He hadn’t liked the idea from the moment he heard it, but he liked it even less after hooking up with an alpha at the party that he couldn’t find again afterwards.
Relationships: Winter Soldier/Tony Stark
Comments: 31
Kudos: 425
Collections: StarkBucksBingo2020, Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV





	By Scent

**Author's Note:**

> Title: By Scent  
> Collaborator Name: (for starkbucks bingo)-camichats, (for tony stark bingo)-4049 camichats  
> Square Filled: For Starkbucks Bingo: B4-Asset on the Loose, For Tony Stark Bingo: K5-”You did what?”  
> Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Winter Soldier  
> Rating: Explicit  
> Warnings: A/B/O smut, Accidental Bonding  
> Tags: AU-No Powers, AU-Omegaverse, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier Are Separate Personalities, Omega Tony Stark, Alpha Winter Soldier, One Night Stands, Masquerades, Explicit Sexual Content, Accidental Bonding, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Knotting, Good Parent Howard Stark, Bad Parent Maria Stark, Getting Together  
> Summary: Tony was twenty and unmated, so his parents threw an old-style masquerade for him. He hadn’t liked the idea from the moment he heard it, but he liked it even less after hooking up with an alpha at the party that he couldn’t find again afterwards.  
> Word Count: 11,880
> 
> So originally this was going to be longer and go through some movie events-- Steve Rogers coming out of the ice, Iron Man, etc.-- but I decided against it. In that original outline, Howard and Steve used to be together. I tried to edit those references out since it wasn't going to go anywhere, but I might've missed something. That's also why Howard is vaguely the good parent and Maria is the ~bad woman~ of the fic-- because I didn't feel like rewriting all the scenes with Howard. Also note that Howard is an omega in this fic, and Maria is an alpha, which is another reason why their relationships to Tony are what they are.

"I don't see why they're bothering," Tony muttered, careful not to move his face too much and mess up the paint Pepper was applying to his cheeks.

"They're bothering because you're twenty and nowhere near being mated," she said, switching brushes from gold to red.

"It's a little late to get out of it," Rhodey told him, sitting in the chair next to the vanity.

"I know."

"If you'd told me about it sooner, we could've told your parents that we were together."

"I know."

"Then why didn't you?" Pepper asked.

"Because I'm an idiot," he said flatly. "Also, Howard and Maria have it in their head that if we haven't mated yet, we're never going to." Which was the truth and the real reason he hadn't asked Rhodey (and by extension Pepper) for help. He'd told his parents that he and Rhodey were together, and they called him out on the lie, though not in the way he'd been expecting. They hadn't denied a relationship between them, they'd simply said that if they hadn't mated, then clearly their relationship was casual and it wouldn't do them any harm if they had the party on schedule.

"That's a full load of horseshit."

"Well we're not mated are we?"

"We're not mated because I'm dating Pepper." Pepper smiled faintly, but it turned to a scowl when Tony forgot himself and tried to move.

"Sorry, sorry." He got back into position. "I just don't see the point of this. It's not like I'm going to find anyone."

"No," Pepper agreed, "but this way your parents get to throw a big party that shows how much they're trying to get you mated. When it doesn't work out, no one will blame them, and hopefully the rumors about you will quiet down a bit. They'll go the romantic route if your parents spin it right, which, let's face it, they will."

"I thought the masquerade _was_ the romantic route," Tony grumbled.

"It is, but there's more than one way to find romance."

"Right, and you two found it in the back of a car."

Rhodey reached forward and tugged sharply on a strand of his hair.

"Hey!" Tony pouted, rubbing at his head. "That was mean, honey bear."

"Don't be rude."

It was true though, so Tony rolled his eyes but kept silent all the same. "Almost done Pep?"

"Yes, now shut up before I have to start all over." A minute of comfortable silence later, and Pepper stepped away. "There. What do you think?"

Tony turned his head and looked in the mirror. "I think it would look better if I had the mask on," he said automatically. Honestly, it looked great, but he didn't want to be doing this stupid masquerade in the first place, and with the bottom half of his face painted intricately and nothing on the top half, it looked silly. Gorgeous, but silly. "Thanks Pep."

"You'll be the hit of the party."

He took a deep breath and tried on a smile. "That's the whole point, isn't it?"

Rhodey clasped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it Tones. You'll do great."

And that right there was the problem wasn't it? He didn't want to do great. He wanted to ignore being an omega for the next ten years at least, and only pay attention to it when he wanted a family of his own. Which he did want, someday. But someday wasn't now, and getting mated would lessen his chances of being a serious name in the engineering community. He'd done pretty well for himself so far, but getting doctorates and doing nothing with them wasn't going to help anyone, least of all himself or his dreams.

"Here." Rhodey handed him a little silver flask. "Since you won't be able to drink at the party," he explained with a little shrug when Tony raised an eyebrow at him.

Tony took it with an internal groan. He'd forgotten that this shindig wouldn't have any alcohol-- something about liquor interfering with scents, and even though that was an old theory that had been debunked a dozen times over, Maria insisted upon it for 'authenticity.' As if they didn't know that she was just paranoid about Tony growing up to be an old maid, the kind with a half dozen cats and no one else for company, and therefore didn’t want to take _any_ chances. He took a shot and promptly gagged. "Whiskey, Rhodes? Really?"

He gave an unrepentant shrug, and Tony made a face before knocking some more of it back.

"Ugh I need to wash out my mouth now," he said, shoving the flask against Rhodey's chest.

"You could've said no," Pepper reminded him. She went through the door to the bathroom, rinsing out the brushes, but still within their eyesight so she could keep teaming up with Rhodey against him. "Besides, you would have been miserable trying to go through the masquerade with nothing in you."

"But whiskey," he whined. "It's one of the worst alcohols on the face of the planet. I expected better from you."

"I'm in the military Tony, what were you expecting?"

"Better taste," he sniffed, turning up his nose, but immediately cracking when Rhodey flicked his nose lightly. He swat at his hands and Rhodey hit back, laughing and nearly escalating into some light wrestling, but Pepper stopped them.

"Don't mess up that paint!" Pepper yelled. "I swear to god I will let you show up with a smudged face before I do that bullshit again."

"And she really means it. Here." Rhodey handed him his mask, a metal outline for his eyes that covered his forehead and the tops of his cheeks, twining little vines of red and gold that felt delicate but he knew wouldn't be snapping any time soon. "We've got to be going anyways, and your parents are going to be knocking down your door soon."

Tony made a face but couldn't argue. It was almost an hour beforehand, and they'd left him with his friends to get ready, but that wouldn't last much longer. They'd need to come in and make sure he was properly dressed and painted, and then he'd have to stand there for the hour before guests started arriving, pretending like he had any say in what was going on. And if that wasn't bad enough, he'd have to disappear as soon as people started showing up so that he could blend in later without anyone automatically recognizing him. There were some Matching Masquerades that didn't require that, but they were the parties for people that already knew who they were going to mate with and just wanted a faux romantic way of meeting. Tony'd asked Jan about it once since she knew more about society life than him, and she said it was so they could tell their grandparents that they'd met the same way they had; he was pretty sure she was messing with him, but he didn't know well enough to prove it. "Yeah. Guess I'll see you guys this weekend?"

"Tomorrow, if tonight goes well," Pepper said with a wink.

"If things go well, wouldn't I be less likely to see you tomorrow?"

"Usually yes, but if you find a potential mate and don't call me, I will make you regret it."

Tony held up his hands in surrender. "Okay. Call you even if hell freezes over, got it."

Pepper rolled her eyes, and Rhodey hid an amused smile behind his hand. "You're texting me regardless of what happens, but a call would just be nice." She paused. "Not too early though. James and I... have plans," she said, giving him a sly look. "We'll need our sleep."

"Ew. I don't want to hear about that. Go away." Pepper laughed, ducking down to give his head a kiss. Rhodey stood and slid his hand into hers. "Bye Tony!"

"Bye Tones, have a good time."

Tony smiled and waved, but it dropped as soon as the door closed. Have a good time? That didn't really sound possible. Have a less miserable time, maybe. He shook his head, turning the mask over in his hands and planning out DUM-E's next upgrade in his mind.

Howard knocked on the door, poking his head in. "Hey kiddo. You good to go?"

Tony sighed and stood up. "Remind me why we're doing this again?"

"To make your mother happy."

"Right. Cause making me happy doesn't mean anything," he said flatly.

"I was happier after I mated with Maria," Howard offered, though he didn't seem hopeful that it would lift Tony's spirits. 

"You were forty when you met her. I'm twenty. You're always talking about compromise, can't we agree to wait until I'm thirty?"

"Tony..."

"I know, I know. The party's already paid for, everyone's already dressed and on their way. No getting out of it. Gotcha."

"You look great," Howard tried, but Tony just rolled his eyes.

"Let's get this over with."

* * *

The party was in full swing, and Tony was surprised at how many people seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. He recognized Jan from across the room, but that had more to do with the fact that Hank had barely tried to disguise himself and she was the only person looking at him with hearts in their eyes. In Tony's opinion, she could do better, but he knew better than to say that to her face.

Tony wasn't tucked away in a corner, and he was definitely feeling the lack of alcohol in the room, but he wouldn't describe himself as utterly miserable right now. Just a normal amount of miserable. He went to the bar to get a water though, chugging it down; he hadn't even realized how thirsty he was. He ordered another and sat on a stool to sip on it as he watched the room.

He could see the appeal in a nostalgia/rewrite-history-to-be-better sort of way. Everyone was wearing black, white, red, silver, and gold, or some combination of those colors. Tony had gone for a deep red suit with golden highlights, and while most people were using gold as a highlight, red was also used as a highlight instead of a base. It made for a nice picture, but Tony shook his head. This was ridiculous. With everyone's scents intermingling and trying to shove the others out of the way, he wouldn't be able to find a mate until they were in his space-- which, granted, was why he was supposed to be working the room, making conversation and dancing the night away. His nose hurt though, and the bar was sparse because of the lack of alcohol. Fine by him.

He circled the bottom of the glass, wondering if he could reasonably spend the rest of the party in this chair, when someone delicious sat down next to him. He was dressed in black, almost pure except for the silver of his gloves, thick and alpha like he had been pulled straight from an omega wet dream-- specifically Tony's omega wet dreams. And fuck did he smell good. Heady and intoxicating to the point that Tony would have swayed from the force of it if he'd been standing. He cleared his throat before daring to speak, and he was relieved that he sounded normal. "Enjoying the masquerade?" he asked.

Tall, dark, and alpha glanced over at him, then looked again, longer, eyes sliding down Tony's form before catching himself and jerking his gaze away. Mm, point for mysterious alpha: not willing to look at Tony like he was a piece of meat, but definitely interested. Not that interest was easy to see on him, what with his mask covering the bottom portion of his face instead of the traditional around the eyes mask that Tony and most of the other guests were wearing. His eyes were outlined with kohl, dripping down towards the mask like smoke. "It's alright," he said neutrally.

Tony took a sip of his water. "You here with anyone?" he asked, then winced. Smooth, Stark. Very smooth, and not at all desperate sounding. An alpha like this was certainly taken, and he would do well to not embarrass himself further. He was just trying to think up ways to bow out without it looking like he was running away, when he spoke again.

"No."

Tony blinked. "No?"

His eyes danced with amusement, and Tony noticed that they were grey as well. His breath caught without his permission, but it looked like the alpha didn't mind in the slightest, if the way his pupils dilated was any indication. "I didn't exactly come over here for a drink."

Tony huffed out a laugh. He hadn't even thought about it, but yeah, a man wearing a mask over his mouth probably wasn't getting a beverage just for the hell of it. "See something you like, then?"

"Hard to see when you're dressed up like that."

"Why alpha, that sounded like a proposition," Tony purred, leaning towards him. He was starting to get wet, and worst case scenario was that the man said no thanks, and Tony went to the bathroom to get himself off real quick or risk stinking up the room. The whole masquerade thing was bullshit. He still thought that. But hell, if it got him laid, he would be willing to admit that it hadn’t been the worst idea in the world. 

"And what would you say if it was?"

"I'd say there are empty rooms outside of this ballroom, and all of them are unlocked right now, if you're interested."

The alpha's eyes bored into his, and Tony felt short of breath at the intensity in them. He thought shit like this only happened in romance novels, but, well... he did read them for a reason, and he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this, especially with someone who was probably the most gorgeous alpha in existence. "You might want to finish your drink," he said quietly, eyes filled with promise.

Another rush of slick pulsed out of him, and he made a mental note to thank Pepper for thinking ahead. He threw back the rest of his water and stood, hand extended. "Satisfied?"

"Not yet."

It should have been something to make Tony roll his eyes at something that was so obviously a line, but it sent a shiver through his spine.

He put a hand in the small of Tony's back as they walked, and it looked like he was leading the way even though Tony was the one who knew where they were going. Nobody stopped them for a chat as they made their way across the floor and out one of the side doors. Tony went down the hallway a bit before trying a door. It opened easily, and Tony grabbed the alpha's hand to pull him inside. He closed the door behind the other man, and as soon as he locked it, he was pulled back against a firm chest, his ass rubbing against the bulge in the alpha's pants. He tucked his face into Tony's neck, but his mask was in the way. He moved one of his arms from holding Tony to fiddle at the base of his own neck, face mask falling carelessly to the floor as he put his nose to one of Tony's glands and inhaling deeply. He loosened Tony's tie and undid the top button, pulling the fabric to the side so he could get to his skin.

Tony pushed his hips back, making the alpha tighten his grip on him. "You going to tell me your name?" he asked. He thought about saying something cliche like 'tell me a name to scream', but the alpha was obviously interested in fucking his brains out; Tony didn't need cheesy lines to try and inspire him.

"It's a masquerade, isn't it?" he said, voice gruff as he mouthed at Tony's neck. Tony's hands went up to tangle in the man's long hair, holding him in place.

"Fuck," Tony whispered, pressing back more firmly. He felt achingly empty, the alpha's pheromones going to straight to his head and making him dizzy with want. "Please."

His hands went down to Tony's crotch, rubbing at his abdomen and cupping him through his pants. "You on the pill?"

"Yes, just please- please--" he broke off with a moan, hips jerking into the alpha's touch when he unzipped his pants and shoved his hand in. He didn't waste any time teasing, just undid Tony's pants all the way and pulled them down around his thighs along with his underwear.

He reached up with one hand and covered Tony's, guiding his hand away from his hair and putting it against the door. Tony got the idea and put the other against it as well.

He sucked a hickey right on top of Tony's bonding gland, making him moan so loud that if anyone was in the hallway passing by, they would have heard it. His hands were off of Tony for a second, and he heard the rustle of fabric and a zipper before one of his hands was back on Tony, curled around his waist. Two fingers traced down his crack before sliding inside, making sure he was ready. 

He cursed under his breath at how easily his fingers pressed in, and it didn't sound like it was in English.

Tony whined, pressing back because first it was not enough and second he was pulling his fingers out and Tony didn't want him to go. Before he could truly complain about it though, there was a blunt pressure at his entrance, slowly pushing inside. After a few seconds, he put his other hand on Tony's hip, keeping him from rushing his slow entrance. He kissed at Tony's neck until he bottomed out, and he stayed there for a minute, letting Tony adjust. "Come on alpha, you don't have to make me wait, I'm ready, c'mon c'mon c'mon," he chanted, but he didn't succeed in rushing him.

That was probably for the best because god he was big, and Tony could only imagine what it would feel like knotted in him. "Ready?" he asked, voice rough with want.

Tony nodded frantically, but he didn't start immediately. He moved one of his hands from Tony's hip to his hand, repositioning him so he was leaning on his forearms instead of just his hands against the door. He put his hand back on Tony's hip, and that was all the warning he got before suddenly the alpha was pounding into him, hitting him in just the right spot that he could already feel his orgasm building up-- and it was a fucking good thing that he was being held up because his toes were tingling and he didn't have faith in his ability to keep standing on his own.

The other man's arm curled around to hold Tony tight against his chest as he slammed his hips into him, and he nibbled on Tony's neck where he was most sensitive. His whole body tightened as he came, streaking the door with thick ropes of white in front of his hips and toes curling inside his shoes. His vision whited out as he panted, and he was just starting to come back to himself when the alpha's knot caught on his rim, and in the next several thrusts he was grinding his hips against Tony's ass, knot inflating and locking them together. Tony's insides splashed with warmth, and his neck ached where he hadn't been bitten. He tilted his neck as far to the side as he could in an invitation he somehow knew the alpha wouldn't take-- not at the moment, at least.

"That was- jesus." Tony gasped for breath, heart warming at the little kisses along the back of his neck, but he couldn't help but be disappointed at all the clothes separating them. It had been hot, no question, but sometime soon, he was going to get this alpha in a proper room where they could take their time, and actually spend the time knotted naked in a bed together, instead of leaning into a wall mostly dressed.

It didn't take long for his knot deflate-- only a couple minutes since they hadn't bonded and it was their first time together-- and he held Tony's weight the whole time, even as he leaned his left arm against the wall for support. He shifted his hips, and his cock slipped out with an unpleasant squelch. Tony wrinkled his nose-- both at the sound and the sensation. "You okay?"

Tony huffed out a laugh. "Sweetheart, I have never been better."

He gave the back of Tony's neck another kiss and pulled away. He bent down and grabbed his mask, fastening it back around his face before Tony could get a look.

"What, I don't get a kiss?" Tony asked when he turned around and saw it back on him. And boy did it make a picture, that his mask was on, but his cock was hanging out. Not that Tony was one to talk, of course.

He brought his hand up, his thumb rubbing over Tony's bottom lip wistfully. He couldn't even tell what Tony's mouth felt like because he was still wearing his gloves. He pulled up his own pants, tucking himself back inside his trousers and zipping them up, but the button was left open because he moved to help Tony, rebuttoning his shirt and fixing his tie. He glanced around the room, spotting a box of tissues.

Tony put a hand on his pants to stop them from dropping further, and he pushed off the wall, stepping forward a few feet.

He came back with the whole box, which was probably for the best. Tony grabbed several, reaching behind him to wipe his ass off enough that he didn't leak through his underwear and pants. The alpha was cleaning off the door, and he looked around when he finished, not seeing a trash can anywhere.

"Here, there should be one over- yeah." Tony walked behind the couch on the other side of the room and tossed the tissues in. It wouldn't be a secret, what they had done, but the cleaning staff would probably appreciate the thought, along with the fact that they didn't leave the room a mess. Hands now empty and body clean enough that he could redress, Tony pulled up his pants and fastened them. He turned back to the alpha, who was now standing beside him to throw away the tissues he'd used. "I'll see you when we unmask, right? It should be at eleven. I know, I know, traditionally it's midnight, but the party goes on for another hour after the unmasking, and asking this crowd to leave at one in the morning is a little too much, you know? No alcohol to sweeten the deal even, can you believe it? I mean, it's probably in your best interest since you can't drink anything with that mask on, but, you know, for everyone else. Anyways, you'll be here for that, right? We can- uh, catch up? Then? Maybe I can get your name," he said with a half-smile.

He didn't say anything, just raised his hands to brush through Tony's hair to get it towards something that didn't resemble 'just fucked'.

Tony's stomach sank, and his heart clenched painfully. "You're not going to be there, are you?"

Still, he stayed silent.

"Right. Well. If you change your mind, you know what clothes to look for."

He grabbed Tony's wrist when he made to leave, and Tony stopped, looking back. He raised a hand to stroke Tony's cheek, careful not to smear the paint.

"Anyone ever tell you that you send mixed signals?" Tony asked quietly.

"I'm sorry." He dropped his hand back to his side.

"For what?"

He didn't say anything else. 

Tony waited for a minute, but he was just being stared at, and it didn't look like an answer was forthcoming. Finally, he sighed, shoulders sagging. He went towards the door, and this time he wasn't stopped.

He didn't know if other people could smell what he'd been up to, but he wasn't paying attention to other people when he made it back to the ballroom anyways. This would have been a great time for some booze, but he settled for soda since it was all they had.

When the time came to unmask, there was the sound of an old style church bell ringing through the speakers. Tony took his off, gripping it in his hands and his eyes darted all through the room, looking for anyone that was dressed in all black. No luck, but he didn't doubt that his partner had left and that was why he couldn't find him, not any sort of failing on his part.

He knew that he wouldn't find him back when he had left the room, but it didn't stop disappointment from hitting him low in the stomach and knocking the breath out of him.

He had some shit to tell Pepper, but it sure as fuck wasn't what either of them wanted to happen.

* * *

Pepper and Rhodey shared a look, then looked back to Tony, sympathy in their eyes. "You got anything else on him?" Rhodey asked.

Tony gave him a flat look, pausing in his rubbing of his chest like that could make the ache go away. "I didn't see him, he didn't even kiss me, and he didn't tell me his name. My only chance of finding him is if I bump into his chest and get a whiff. For that matter, he wouldn't be able to find me since he doesn't have anything either." He clenched his hand so tight his knuckles turned white and his hand started to shake. "That stupid party was our only shot. And we missed it."

"It's not all bad," Pepper tried, but her mouth twisted as soon as she finished saying it. "Okay it is kind of all bad. You're going to have to let him go though, Tony. You said it yourself, you won't be able to find each other again. I'm not saying you can't pine for a while-- your first alpha and all that-- but eventually... you'll have to move on."

"Pep," Rhodey said quietly.

"What? I'm right, you know I am."

"Yeah, but this is the talk you give him a month after it happens, not, you know, the day after."

Pepper blinked. "Oh." She frowned and turned back to Tony. "Sorry, I- I wasn't thinking."

Tony shook his head. He didn't take offense because he knew Pepper didn't mean anything by it; in her mind, someone was either the love of your life or they weren't. "You normally don't hear about it until it's time to have that talk." He winced, pressing down more firmly on his chest. Okay maybe something was actually wrong. This went a little beyond a heartache from a spectacular one night stand. He didn't realize that his hearing and vision had whited out until he blinked a few times and saw Rhodey kneeling in front of him, repeating his name. Pepper hovered by his shoulder, hands fluttering like she wanted to do something but didn't know what.

"Tony, you look pale," she said, looking rather pale herself. "You-" her throat clicked "-you're white as a sheet, maybe you should lay down." 

"No," Tony said automatically, but his tongue was thick and heavy in his mouth.

"You look like you're about to be sick, man. C'mon just lay down and then you can argue about how healthy you are."

* * *

"Bond withdrawal," the doctor said, and Tony blinked at him blankly.

"We didn't bond. I don't have a fucking bonding bite in case you didn't notice." He knew that he shouldn't be rude, but he couldn't help it right now. If he'd bonded to this alpha, he would have stayed around instead of taking off. Also if they'd bonded, his knot would have lasted a hell of a lot longer than it did, and Tony would've had the chance to try and convince him to stay-- not that he thought he would have been successful, but it would have been nice to have the opportunity.

"Sometimes, when a pair are so well matched, it happens when they have sex. It's not permanent without a bite of course, but this is your body's way of trying to call them back. He's experiencing similar symptoms," the doctor offered, an implicit ‘if that makes you feel better’ tagged on the end.

Tony grit his teeth and took a deep breath before he did something stupid, like throw the landline at the doctor. "Right. How long does this last?"

"It varies," he said, a hint of apology in his voice.

"Fine," he growled. "Can I at least have something for the pain?" He expected (or maybe hoped) for the doctor to say 'yes, of course, here you go', but he was shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, but with the birth control and heat suppressants you're on, you would be at risk for any number of omega diseases caused by hormone imbalance." Tony glared, and the doctor shrugged helplessly. "It's either pain medication, or your birth control and suppressants. I assumed you would choose the ones you're already taking. Was I wrong?"

Tony looked away, grinding his teeth together. "No."

"I'm sorry Mister Stark. If the pain gets worse, come back and we'll reevaluate."

"Is there something stopping us from reevaluating right now?"

"If the pain gets worse, it means there's another problem, one that takes precedence over your heat cycle."

"So by 'reevaluate' you just meant 'take you off your meds'."

"Yes."

Tony sighed in aggravation, rubbing a hand hard over his face. "Thanks doc."

"Sorry I couldn't do more to help. Remember Mister Stark, if it gets worse, you need to come back in."

"Yeah yeah," Tony grumbled, hopping off the examination table and going to the chair where his things were sitting.

* * *

He didn't think it would happen, but another couple weeks later and he was back. Tony was scowling at everything and nothing, waiting for the doctor to come in. The nurse came in, took some blood and left. The doctor came in a while after and-- surprise, surprise-- told Tony that he had to stop taking his birth control and suppressants. "It only takes a couple hours for bloodwork to go through, and we'll give you a call about anything we find-- or don't find as the case might be. If necessary, we'll set another appointment, but that isn't likely."

"As likely as me having to come back here today?" Tony asked flatly.

The doctor quirked a smile. "Yes, about as likely as that. Really Mister Stark, I wouldn't worry about it. It's most likely that your body just needs a break to re-adjust itself after an event. It's resituating your hormones based on what you had, and now what it expects."

"If it's readjusting to expect an alpha, shouldn't we just ignore it until it evens out?"

"The human body is a complex and often illogical piece of machinery. To us, it makes sense that keeping up with your current medication would help, but your body disagrees. First it needs to adjust to having an alpha, then it needs to get used to the idea that there won't be one." He shrugged when Tony continued to look unhappy. "I'm sorry Mister Stark, but there's nothing we can do except wait this out and try to keep you as comfortable as possible."

"Does that mean I get the pain pills now?"

The doctor nodded, writing the prescription out and ripping the sheet off to hand to Tony. "These are pretty light, and honestly it's only going to take the edge off for you. If, for some reason, the pain is debilitating, come back and I'll up the dosage, but I can't start you with that because of addiction issues."

Tony grumbled but took the prescription. He wanted to say that if there were addiction issues when the dosage was high, that risk still existed when the dose was low and that he should be given a different medication, but for once he bit his tongue and took what he was given. He might be agitated, but he wasn’t actually in the mood for a fight right now. His heat date was coming up anyways, so this wasn't the worst case scenario. It still wasn't ideal. He fucking hated this. 

Because he was coming off of the suppressants, he had no idea when in the next two weeks his heat would hit, which meant he couldn't plan any long outings or risk being sniffed at by every alpha he came across while in pre-heat. He didn't mind spending all his time at home in the 'shop instead of going to parties or whatever, but he hated that he had to be there and that he no longer had the option of leaving if he wanted.

He went to the pharmacy and picked up his new meds, rubbing a hoodie covered hand over his cramping stomach. He made a face when he saw what they were-- aka weak, just like the doctor had warned him. He sighed and put them in his bag after dry swallowing one of them, then got out his phone to text Pepper and Rhodey an update.

From Tony: Ugh doc said I have to stop my birth control :(

From Pepper: :(

Did he give you something for the pain?

From Tony: Yeah but they're not much

From Rhodey: At least it's something? There's nothing wrong right? You're not going to drop dead or anything?

From Tony: No, MOM I'm not going to drop dead. I'm not even sick it's a fucking hormone imbalance

Can you believe that shit? It's like puberty all over again I hate this

From Pepper: It won't be JUST like puberty, calm down.

From Tony: Yeah it'll be worse because now I can actually go into heat. I'm going to be stuck in bed for a week because of this, and again next month if my body doesn't fucking fix itself before then

From Rhodey: Ouch. Sorry man.

* * *

Fortunately-- or as fortunate as a person can get in a completely shit situation-- Tony's heat came three days after he stopped taking his meds. As soon as they were flushed out of his system, he lit up like a goddamn furnace. Howard, Maria, and Jarvis put together a box of supplies (lots of food, lots of water, and several sports drinks) for him, left it in front of his door, and texted to let him know it was there.

He opened the door a crack, peeked out, and snatched it like it was contraband. He locked the door as soon as he was back inside, accidentally dropping the box on his foot in the process. "Fuck!" He made a fist and hit the door once with the side of his hand. He stayed like that for a minute, shakily breathing out the anger until he was back to hot and unhappily aroused. He picked the box up, walking on his hurt foot gingerly. It probably wouldn't bruise, but right now it throbbed like a few other body parts he could mention.

Tony would feel better if he got himself off, but right now he was holding onto indignant annoyance and refused to relieve himself until absolutely necessary. It was like an argument against his body and in order to win, all he had to do was wait until his heat got so bad that he'd beg for release. He wasn't there yet, so he dropped the box on his bed and climbed back on, wincing when his cock hit the mattress as he moved. He paused, waiting for the sensitivity to fade, then sat down, the back of his pants uncomfortably wet.

He ignored it in favor of wolfing down two protein bars and draining three quarters of a bottle of water. He flopped back on the bed and stared at his ceiling. It was painted a dark red per six year old Tony's request, and he'd let it be ever since. He'd never wanted to change it (for more than a night, at least) until now. That alpha had had silvery eyes; he wondered if he could find that exact shade somewhere. He'd look into it when his heat broke, and if he found it, hello new ceiling welcome to Tony Land-- he will probably jerk off while staring up at you, but don't worry he's thinking of an alpha that didn't like him well enough to stick around. He snorted at his thoughts and rolled onto his side, torso twisted awkwardly because his legs were still on either side of the box.

Grumbling to the room at large, he pushed himself up and got to his feet. He cleaned off his night stand and set the box on it, and slowly sat back down perched on the edge of the bed as his eyes stayed fixed on the closed bottom drawer where he kept his sex toys. He shook himself, then rolled back on the bed, laying down. He had his phone, some books, and a tablet, but he knew none of them would hold his focus right now. His fingers twitched periodically, and his legs spasmed every so often, his body craving stimulation he was unwilling to give. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, but his mind started to wander and he was back in that side room of the masquerade, getting fucked by an alpha that could have been plucked straight out of heaven.

Sometime in his imagining, he had turned his hips towards the bed and started rutting against it lightly. He let out a growl and forced his hips to stop. He went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, but it wasn't enough. Tony took off his shirt easily even though it was damp with sweat, but he had to peel his pants and boxers off, leaving them in a sticky pile on the tiled floor.

He would rather die than take a cold shower, so he turned the water as not-warm as he could handle and stepped in. He still shivered initially, but he got used to it after a few moments. He didn't bother washing his hair or using body wash, he just grabbed the bar of soap to get the sweat off. His erection was flagging, and thankfully it didn't revive as he cleaned the slick off his thighs. He turned off the water and shivered as the cool air from outside the shower hit him.

He toweled off his hair and was gingerly patting down his sensitive areas when he caught a whiff of something new. He sniffed, leaning towards the door that connected the bathroom to his bedroom. It wasn't any of his parents, and there's no way they would have let a maid into his room when he was like this. Something about it was familiar though, and he kept sniffing until his nose was pressed to the paint on the door.

His body recognized who it was before his mind was, cock filling and ass getting wet like he hadn’t washed it off a minute ago. The alpha from the party. He automatically held the towel in front of him as he leaned back and wrenched the door open.

The alpha was standing next to one of the windows by his bed, which was open. His hair was tied back this time, sitting at the base of his neck, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie, his left hand sitting in the pocket. His eyes locked on Tony as soon as he opened the door, but he made no move to go towards him. He was obviously hard, straining against the front of his jeans, and his pheromones wafted throughout the room, intermingling with Tony's heat scent. His face was uncovered, and something about it tickled the back of Tony's mind.

Tony ignored that though, instead taking in the strong jaw and the scruff that didn't quite make a beard. He swallowed thickly, balls tingling as he imagined how that scruff would feel against his skin. "You came back."

"Sorry I'm late."

"Month and a half late."

"I can make it up to you," he said, silver eyes filled with promise.

"I'll bet," Tony found himself saying. He swallowed again, nervous, and dropped the towel from in front of him and stepped out of the bathroom doorway.

His eyes roved all over Tony's body, going head to toe and back again, unconsciously licking his lips.

Tony took another step towards him. "What's your name?"

"Winter," he said, voice rough with want.

"Winter," Tony repeated, and he could see Winter's cock twitch even confined to his pants as it was. He continued to walk towards him. "My name's Tony."

Winter nodded, whispering his name like it was a treasure. “Tony…” He reached out with his right hand, stepping forward to meet Tony. His touch was light, skating down Tony's ribs and over his hipbone before he pulled his hand back to himself.

Tony stepped into his space, bringing his hands up to cup Winter's face. He had to tilt his head back to look Winter in the eyes, but it was worth it to see the naked desire written there. "I'm starting to feel silly being the only one who's not dressed," he said, tone quietly at odds with his teasing words.

Slowly, Winter pulled his left hand from his pocket. Tony saw a flash of silver and looked down automatically. He tilted his head curiously-- was that a prosthetic? "Can you feel with that?"

Winter nodded. He was watching Tony nervously, expectant of a negative reaction that never came.

Tony looked back to him. "Does it hurt?"

He shook his head and was rewarded by a sweet smile spreading across Tony's face.

"Then can we get this off?" he asked, trailing his hands down Winter's face to pluck at the hoodie.

He leaned back to strip it off, hearing Tony inhale sharply when he realized that Winter wasn't wearing anything underneath it. As soon as the item of clothing cleared his head, Tony was at his neck, breathing deeply. The position had Tony's heated skin pressed against his, and Winter put his arms around Tony to hold him there. He was careful with the prosthetic, knowing that it was colder and not wanting to surprise Tony with that. 

Tony didn't jump at the touch of metal, just relaxed into his hold with a delighted purr, rubbing his lips along Winter's neck. Winter swallowed, holding himself back from rubbing against Tony or marking him. Just thinking about it made his fingers tingle pleasantly, but he didn't dare ask for that privilege. Tony could do better, and he wasn't going to ask him to settle.

Tony pulled back from scenting Winter's neck to look him in the eye. "Are you going to stay with me for my heat?"

"If you want," he said neutrally. He would rip someone in half if they tried to make him leave, but if Tony asked, he would go, no hesitation and no questions asked.

"Stay," Tony said immediately. 

Winter dipped his head in a nod, and Tony relaxed even further, grinning at him. He leaned forward, putting his hands on Winter's shoulders for balance when he got on his tiptoes, and kissed him. He giggled at first, when their noses bumped together, but he tilted his head and tried again, this time slotting their mouths together easily. Winter's lips were chapped, dry and just this side of rough. Tony let out an involuntary moan, and he cut himself off, flushing in a way that was all embarrassment and nothing heat based. He drew back the slightest bit, but Winter pressed forward, kissing him again. He shuddered when Tony parted his lips, and he dove in, tongue twining against Tony's and pulling it into his mouth to suck on it.

Tony pulled back to breathe a minute later, but he was still close. He rested his forehead against Winter's for a moment as he caught his breath, then he dropped flat onto his feet.

Winter licked his lips, tasting Tony on them and loving it. "Get on the bed."

Tony stepped away slowly, reluctant to let him go like he was afraid that Winter was going to jump out of the window if he got too far, and sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. Winter undid the button on his jeans, and as he was unzipping them Tony saw that he wasn't wearing any underwear. Slick pulsed out of him, and his ass clenched around nothing, feeling achingly empty for the first time since his heat started.

Winter started to push the jeans down around his thighs, and his cock sprung out so Tony could finally see it in all its glory. It was a mouthwatering dusky pink, long and thick, and every bit as perfect looking as it had felt inside him that night.

His muscles instinctively flexed, and Tony knew that if Winter asked it, he would beg for his cock. To get that inside him again? Fuck he wouldn't even hesitate. Winter didn't ask for that though, just pushed his pants to the ground and stepped out of them, prowling in front of Tony and caressing his face with his metal hand. Tony put his hand up to rest on his forearm, feeling the plates shift as if they were skin when he moved his thumb. "What do you want?" he asked hoarsely.

A jolt of heat shuddered down Tony's spine and threw his fingers, making him grasp uselessly at Winter's arm. "I want you to fuck me."

For a long moment, it was like all the air in the room vanished. Winter stopped breathing, staring down at this gorgeous person who inexplicably wanted him. A charged, faceless fuck in the back room of a mate-finding party was one thing, looking up at the person and seeing all of them and still wanting them? That was something else altogether. Winter nodded, sucking in a breath. "Yeah," he said to himself, not aware that he'd said it until he heard it. His hand trailed from Tony's cheek down to his chest, and he nudged him gently.

Tony scooted towards the center of the bed and laid down.

Winter got on the bed and climbed over him, hovering over his body so they could feel each other's heat, but not so close as to be covering him. His dick was hanging low, the head brushing against Tony's stomach in a light tease. He kissed him, and any sense of hesitation was gone. He kissed like he meant it, like he wanted to claim Tony and ruin him for anyone else, and Tony was dizzy with it.

All of a sudden, Winter was pressing his hips down against Tony's, and Tony let out a surprised moan against Winter's mouth. Winter left his mouth to kiss along his jaw, the hinge right under his ear, down his neck until Tony was a whimpering puddle of need. His hips were jerking, thrusting against Winter's cock so they slid together, but it wasn't enough.

Winter gave quick, scattering kisses down his chest until he was kneeling between Tony's legs mouth over his cock. He put one hand on Tony's hip and the other on under the hinge of his knee, bringing the leg up so the flat of his foot was resting on the mattress. He licked tentatively at the head, eyes glancing up at Tony for an instant to check that this was okay.

"Fuck!" 

It clearly was.

He licked a stripe from root to tip and wrapped his lips around the head before going back down. He firmed his tongue into a point and traced the prominent vein, making Tony whine high in his throat. "Winter, please."

Winter kissed along his shaft before tonguing the slit and lapping up the bead of precome that gave him. He'd never done this before, but he was pretty sure he knew enough to make this good for Tony. He glanced up at him again, needing to make sure he was okay, and took him into his mouth. Just the head at first, and he licked at the velvety skin before taking him deeper.

Tony's hips twitched under his hand, and he took that as a sign that he was doing it right. He took Tony as far into his mouth as he could, pulling back with a wince when he hit the back of his throat. It was an unpleasant sensation, but something he could get used to as long as he was expecting it. Next time, he told himself, pulling his mouth up and then back down so it was like Tony was thrusting into his mouth.

"Oh my god," Tony babbled, body getting tighter as Winter worked him over, "holy shit oh my god Winter. Oh! That- that's mmm. Fuck how are you doing that. Winter, your mouth-!" and he just kept going. Every word made blood thrum hotter in his veins, and he moved his hand from Tony's leg to his balls, squeezing gently and rolling them in his palm. Tony's mouth dropped open and his back arched as he came, spurting hot lines into Winter's mouth.

Winter sputtered involuntarily, coughing a little as he pulled away.

Tony looked at him, looking guilty and not enjoying his afterglow at all. "Shit I'm sorry, I didn't even think-"

Winter shook his head, and Tony stopped immediately. Winter wiped off his mouth, getting all the saliva that had drooled out of his mouth off his chin. "Wasn't expecting it," he admitted, more than a little embarrassed. He'd known that Tony was getting close, and he knew that the end was good, but for some reason he'd forgotten that Tony would shoot off in his mouth and that it was something he'd have to deal with. He crawled up Tony's body and kissed him-- a chaste little thing to reassure Tony.

A simple kiss was all he meant it to be, but Tony whispered, "I don't mind," before nibbling on Winter's bottom lip, coaxing him into a deeper kiss and he could taste himself in Winter's mouth.

They kissed leisurely for a while, memorizing the way the other person felt and tasted, how they kissed and what made their breath catch.

Winter noticed that Tony was getting aroused again before Tony himself did, and he curled a hand down around his ass and traced his fingers along Tony's crack. He whined, pressing his hips up to give Winter more space.

He slid a finger in, twisting it in a way that-- Tony was sure-- was engineered to drive him crazy. "Don't fucking tease," Tony gasped, trying to ride Winter's finger, which was far too small to give him anything like completion at this angle.

"Didn't mean to." He pulled his finger out and sat up, getting one hand under a knee and pushing it up. He guided himself inside and a groan punched its way out of him. He leaned down to kiss Tony again, a sweet promise that he was going to make this as good for Tony as he could.

And he delivered.

* * *

His heat was finally over, and Tony couldn't help but feel ridiculously exhausted. Normally when his heat ended, his body was tired but his mind was raring to go from the break. Today (or tonight he honestly had no idea) though, he wanted nothing more than to sleep for the next eighteen hours curled up with Winter.

Winter was sweaty and naked, his chest heaving with Tony laying on top of him.

"D'you want me to move?" Tony mumbled. Not that he wanted to move, mind, but it seemed polite to ask. Winter was so warm and having this much skin pressed together made him never want to leave this position.

Winter at least, seemed to want him to stay where he was. His flesh arm was hanging off to the side of the bed, and he moved his metal arm to sling across Tony's lower back, keeping him in place. "No."

Tony hummed, nuzzling his face against the curve of Winter's neck and shoulder. "You'll stay with me, right?"

Winter didn't say anything, and it made Tony shake off his sleepy haze a little.

"You're going to leave me?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I'm not safe for you," he said.

"That's bullshit. You don't get to leave me again. We're finally around each other again and you're just going to take off? Leave me all by myself until my next heat comes around? Or are you going to stay away for that too? Is this the last I'm going to see of you for the rest of my life?"

"No," he said hesitantly, not sure if he was telling the truth or not.

"You should stay. I can take care of you, we have a shit ton of money, I'm sure whatever it is you're afraid of can be solved with that. Or at least helped. Don't go. Please," Tony added, when he could see Winter wavering.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Tony repeated. "You mean you're going to stay?"

Winter nodded, and Tony flopped back down and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing tightly like he could keep him from leaving again if he tried. He yawned widely a minute later. "You'll still be here when I wake up?" he asked, needing to make sure.

"Yes." Winter turned his head and kissed the top of Tony's curls. Tony believed him, and he hoped that he wouldn't be proven wrong.

* * *

Tony was sore all over, but mostly in-- surprise, surprise-- his ass, thighs, and lower back. Winter had started out sweet and soft as anything, but with Tony convincing him that he wanted it harder and his heat driving that desire higher and making both of them lose their inhibitions, well… Winter delivered on that too. Tony didn't exactly have a bed that could slide enough to bang into the wall, but Winter pounded him hard enough that his bed gave that its best try anyways.

He dragged Winter into the tub, knowing that he was aching too, even if it was more like thighs, abs, and arms for him. Tony thought about adding a ridiculous amount of bubble bath to it but decided against it. He didn't need bubbles for comfort today, he had Winter.

The hot water soothed most of it, and Winter took care of the rest, massaging Tony's body and dropping kisses on his neck like he couldn't help himself. Tony had never felt so utterly relaxed after a heat before. It was usually feeling like shit and holing himself up in his workshop to try and make up for the lost time. With this experience though, he could understand why other omegas said such nice things about their heat time.

The water was starting to cool; they'd have to get out soon, but for the moment they sat there in content silence. "Aren't you sore too?" Tony mumbled.

"No," Winter said, and while that had to be a lie, he said it like it wasn't.

Tony hummed, snuggling up against him.

"It's time to get out," Winter said. It felt like a second later, but as Tony opened his eyes, he could tell that he'd drifted off.

"Don't wanna."

Winter gave a small smile and pressed a kiss to Tony's head, then picked him up and stepped out of the tub. Tony squeaked, wrapping his arms around Winter's neck even though he hadn't gotten anywhere close to slipping. He set Tony down on the toilet lid, but not before shuffling out a towel and setting it on the surface so that Tony wouldn't get cold.

Tony's bathroom had towels in abundance, and Winter enjoyed using several of them to dry Tony all the way off. When Winter got to the part of drying every single strand of hair on his head, Tony bat his hands away and scrubbed at his head himself. "You can dry off too you know."

Winter did, in fact, know that, but he would rather take care of Tony. He put his hands back on the towel only to have his hands swat at again. He frowned. Tony hadn't done this before, and he didn't quite know how to react.

"Dry off, Winter. I'm fine." He paused, then added, in a stilted tone like he wasn't sure about it, "You took good care of me."

Winter waited a second longer, staring at Tony to make sure he wasn't just lying to get Winter to do what he wanted, then grabbed a fresh towel and wiped himself down, being far less careful with himself than he had been with Tony. His skin pinked for where he'd rubbed harshly, but even that faded after a few seconds.

Tony noticed and filed the information away to think about later.

Winter helped him stand even though he didn't need any help, and he led Tony back to the room and helped him get dressed.

Coming down from his heat, Tony appreciated it more than it annoyed him, but if this behavior kept up, he was going to have to have a talk with Winter about how their everyday interactions were going to be. Also known as: _stop smothering me, you alpha asshole, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself_.

"I don't know how I'm going to explain this," he mumbled.

"Do you want me to leave?" Winter asked, but he said it like he was offering automatically and not because he thought that Tony would say that yes actually, he wanted him gone.

Tony's grip on him tightened. "Don't you dare."

Winter blew out a slow breath, hugging Tony back.

A minute later, Tony let him go and started heading for the door. "Stay here for a minute, I'm going to tell them… I have no idea, but I'll figure it out."

"…stay here?" _By myself_?

Tony turned around and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll only be a minute." With that, he left the room, closing the door which-- to Winter-- made a final sounding click. Winter started pacing the room, counting the time that he was gone. If it was too long, he was going to find him and make sure he was alright.

Tony took several deep, measured breaths as he walked, wondering where he'd be able to find either his parents or Jarvis. Howard was probably in the shop, Maria was god only knows where, and Jarvis always seemed to be in the kitchen when Tony went looking for him. He sure as hell didn't want to admit to Maria that he'd let an alpha share his heat without bonding with them first, and while he loved Jarvis dearly-- and knew that Jarvis loved him-- he knew that Jarvis would be obligated to tell her. Unfortunately, that made Howard his best option.

He wrinkled his nose in distaste but turned and started heading for the 'shop. Talking to Howard about anything not engineering related was very hit or miss, and Tony never looked forward to having to find out which one it was. One time Howard had waxed poetic about Tony's 'changing body', and that wasn't something he ever wanted to experience ever again for as long as he lived. The good news was that if Howard started doing that, Maria's disappointed look and sharp words would be something of a relief.

He opened the workshop's door then knocked because he could never hear anything from the outside.

Howard's head shot up, and he smiled when he saw Tony standing in the doorway. "Come on in kiddo. How was your heat?" he asked sympathetically. He knew how heats all by yourself could be, and he hated that it was something Tony had to experience.

"It was good," Tony said automatically, making Howard pause.

"Good?" he repeated disbelievingly. He set the pliers down on the table in front of him and turned to focus on him fully. "Tony. Heats by yourself can't be good." _Take it from someone who knows_. Maria barely touched him these days, and during his heat, not at all; she said he stank and was completely unbearable for company. He knew she was right, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. "You don't need to lie or feel embarrassed." If only it were possible for Howard to take his own advice.

"I'm not embarrassed or lying Howard, jesus. It's uh…" he swallowed, stepping inside the 'shop and closing the door behind him. "I didn't spend it alone."

He blinked. "I'm sorry?" None of them had let anyone inside the house the past few days, and they didn't have any alphas in the house except for Maria and Jarvis.

Tony scratched at the back of his head, wishing that inspiration would strike him. It didn't. "Well I uh, met someone. At that mating party a while back."

"You said that you didn't."

"Hooking up in a back room doesn't equal mating," Tony said uncomfortably, then wondered why the hell he had just said that. "Okay forget I said that. My point is that he's here now, and I think he's in some sort of trouble and we need to help him because otherwise he's going to take off and I'm never going to see him again, and I'm not willing to let that happen."

"What kind of trouble?" Howard asked suspiciously.

"I don't know, but he's worried."

"Tony-"

"Don't," he said sharply. "He's not using me. This might be hard for you to believe, but some people actually like me for me."

"I know Tony," Howard said in an overly patient voice that probably meant he was trying to control his own emotions. "I just want you to be careful. If you get bonded to someone that doesn't care about you, you're stuck with them." Relationships could be broken. Bonds couldn’t. 

"I know. But he does care about me." Howard looked a little doubtful, so Tony added, "He wouldn't have stuck around if he didn't. Do you…" Tony wanted to wring his hands nervously, but goddammit he was not a blushing maiden, "do you want to meet him?"

"I suppose it would be easier to break the news to Maria if it were over dinner."

"No I- I meant right now."

Howard straightened, looking far too serious. "He's still here?"

"Well yeah." He thought about explaining that he was convinced if Winter left, Tony wouldn't see him again (or at least not for a very long time), but that didn't seem to be the best way to encourage Howard so he kept his mouth shut.

Howard shot to his feet, brushing past Tony to go up the stairs.

"Uh, Howard? What are you doing? Okay you're kind of starting to scare me," Tony said when Howard didn't slow down in the slightest. "Howard for fuck's sake would you slow down? He's not hurting anything, I trust him!"

"I'm sure you do," Howard said, his tone clearly communicating that he didn't trust Tony's opinion on this.

Tony glared, jogging forward to pull on Howard's arm and bringing him to a stop. "I came to you for help, not so you could kick him out. And since you've apparently forgotten, I'm an adult. It's not like you could actually stop me from being with him if you disapproved."

Howard gave him a look filled with so much incredulity it was practically dripping off his frame. "Are you sixteen with your first boyfriend or something? What the hell, Tony?"

"What?" he asked defensively.

"You sound like someone who's in love for the first time and you're going to ruin your life with some abusive asshole."

Tony rolled his eyes. "He's not an abusive asshole, and in my defense I'm coming off my heat, and we both know that I'm melodramatic on a normal day." He'd never admitted it before, but they all knew it was true. "Look, he's just- he's worried. I need you to not scare him off by being, y'know, you. All overprotective and shit."

"I'm not overprotective," Howard said defensively.

Tony gave him a flat look. "Do you want me to find a dictionary? Because I can. It'll just be a picture of you, with a footnote that says Maria is too if she's paying attention to me."

"Your mother always pays attention to you, Tony."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"She loves you, Tony." Howard always said his name when he was trying to convince Tony that he was being sincere; it had been years since Tony believed it. 

"I'm sure she does," he said dryly, and Howard honestly didn't know if Tony was lying or not.

Howard sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "Fine, I'll give this random ass alpha of yours the benefit of the doubt."

"You don't sound like you're going to."

Howard sighed again. "You want to know what I think?"

"It would be nice."

"I think that you've fallen too hard too fast, and that I'm not inclined to trust an alpha that ignored you until it was your heat, when he suddenly decided that he wanted you enough to climb through your window."

"I told you, he's scared," Tony said, keeping his voice even but he was obviously mad.

"I'm not sure that's enough."

"Did I tell you I went to the doctor?" Tony asked suddenly.

"You what? Are you-" Howard's eyes darted down to Tony's stomach automatically.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I just had a heat Howard for fuck's sake I'm not pregnant."

"Then what did you go to the doctor for?"

"Bond withdrawal. We haven't mated yet, but we had one little night together, and my body started punishing me for not staying with him. I'm sure he went through the same thing, and he tried to stay away to keep me safe."

"I don't see how staying away keeps you safe."

Tony made a noise of frustration, stomping off towards his room. "Nobody ever listens to me," he grumbled. "Come on Howard!" By the time they made it back to his room, he'd mostly calmed down, but he was still walking like he had something to prove and was angry about it.

He reached for the handle automatically, ready to rush in, but he hesitated at he last second, throwing an uncertain look over his shoulder at Howard. "Don't be rude." He turned the knob slowly and peeked in. "Winter? Howard's with me; he wants to meet you."

"Okay," Winter said quietly, his voice a low rumble.

Howard recoiled at the scent that rolled out of Tony's room in a thick, overbearing wave. It was one thing to know that his son had spent a heat with an alpha, it was quite another to smell it like that, so thick and clear with their… intimate scents so woven together that if he didn't know Tony's so well, he wouldn't have been able to distinguish the two. He swallowed thickly and tried to breathe shallowly as he stepped into the room behind Tony. He opened his mouth, ready to say a polite hello to Winter and ask what he needed help with, but he froze, gaping. "Sergeant Barnes?"

Standing near the foot of the bed, he shifted his focus from Tony to Howard, frowning like he didn't understand why Howard was saying that name at him. "What?" It would have made Howard second guess himself, but that was definitely Sergeant Barnes that he was looking at. He was a little bit older, and his hair was long and he had scruff lining his jaw, and sure, he looked a little bigger than Howard remembered, but that was undoubtedly him.

"Dad?" Tony asked, looking at him in confusion before glancing at Winter to see if he knew what was going on.

"Tony, that's… that's Sergeant Barnes. Captain America's best friend."

"Uh Howard? He'd have to be your age for that to be true. Besides, don't you think he'd remember something like that?"

Howard shrugged helplessly. "I'm just telling you what I see."

Tony blinked, looking horribly confused. He went to Winter's side and held his hand. "Are you- do you know what he's talking about?" he asked Winter quietly.

Winter shook his head.

"Okay, well uh, this is my dad, Howard. Dad, this is Winter," _my alpha_ he added silently.

Neither of them said the platitude of 'nice to meet you', to Tony's dismay. Neither of them said anything at all.

"Right," Tony said loudly, clearing his throat. "Anyways, I was telling Howard that we're going to help you with whatever trouble you're in so that you can stay. Right?" he said pointedly, looking at Howard.

"Right," he echoed. He shook himself, pushing away old memories that he should have known better than to dredge up. Those times were gone, and he was never getting them back. "So who is it?"

"I don't think you can help," Winter said, and Howard couldn't help rolling his eyes. Either they could help or they couldn't, but they had the best chance of helping him than any other family in the world, so he should just get talking.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

Winter was silent for a long moment, looking down at Tony, who was holding onto his hand and looking so unbelievably hopeful that he couldn't disappoint him. "Hydra."

Howard froze, every muscle in his body going rigid. "Hydra's dead."

"Cut off one head…" Winter quoted, letting the rest of the phrase go unsaid since they all knew how it ended. 

"That doesn't apply when the entire creature has been blown off the face of the earth," Howard said, voice hard. "No more heads around." 

"You missed one." Winter's voice was factual, nonjudgmental, and that was probably the only thing that kept Howard from working himself up further.

"Where?" And that was that. 

For the next two days, Howard didn't mention that Winter looked like Barnes, didn't say that he didn't trust him with Tony, didn't say anything except for what he needed to find Hydra and any intel Winter had on them.

"They'll come after me," Winter had said once, and Howard waved off the concern dismissively.

"They won't get you. With our security, they would need an army to get in here, and since they're trying to fly under the radar, ambushing our house isn't the best way to do that. It's a short term solution, but it's all we have right now, so sit tight."

Tony didn't entirely know what was going on, but Winter was getting to stay with them, and Howard was acting like Tony was a partner and not someone who occasionally got in his way, so he took the situation with both hands and loved the hell out of it. 


End file.
